Bishop of Jaffna: more than 100,000 civilians risk annihilation
Colombo (AsiaNews) - "More than 100,000 civilians risk total annihilation if evacuation does not begin immediately in the war zone in the northwest." Thomas Savundaranayagam, bishop of Jaffna, is issuing yet another cry of alarm and urging the army and the Tamil rebels to reach an agreement in order to spare the lives of the population still trapped in the districts of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.
The bishop of the city in the northern part of the island says that the government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are preparing for the "final battle," ignoring "the perilous situation of total annihilation of civilians in the no-fire zone." The refugees are encamped in the district of Mullaitivu, on a stretch of coastline a little longer than 11 kilometers. They suffer from a shortage of food, a lack of basic necessities, and accommodation in makeshift shelters.
For more than five months, the Church, the UN, and the Red Cross have been calling for respect for civilians trapped in the war zone and exposed to attacks from both sides. For some time, the government and humanitarian organizations have been denying each other's claims about the numbers of refugees present in the theater of conflict. The Red Cross says there are at least 200,000 people, while the defense ministry says that there are no more than 100,000 refugees.
The Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) says that during the first ten days of March, the hospital of Puthumaththalan cared for 964 civilians injured in the fighting. More than 95% of these come from the safety zone, where they are the victims of air attacks by the army and guerrilla actions by the rebels. The RDHS confirms that of these, 40 children and 79 adults have died while being brought to the hospital, or during their hospitalization.
Bishop Savundaranayagam is asking for the opening of a corridor to allow the civilians to leave the safety zone. "It is the last chance" for the warring parties to prevent more innocent victims. The bishop is proposing to the army and the rebels a plan of emergency for the evacuation of civilians, immediate access to the area for aid from the World Food Program, and the participation of the UN in addressing the crisis with the proclamation of a ceasefire that would permit United Nations envoys to verify the real conditions of the population.
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07/02/2009
